President Joe Biden mourned on Tuesday alongside Asian American survivors of a mass shooting in a Los Angeles suburb, using his limited powers to tighten firearms controls while urging Congress to take significant action. Speaking to the immigrant community in Monterey Park, he praised their resilience and remembered the 11 individuals who lost their lives during the Lunar New Year celebrations in January. Biden highlighted the strength of a loving “matriarch,” a karaoke-singing grandmother, and the 72-year-old manager and dance teacher at the Star Ballroom, where the tragedy occurred. The audience erupted in applause when he recognized Brandon Tsay, the 26-year-old who bravely wrested the gun from the shooter before he could target a second ballroom. “He found the courage to act,” Biden stated, earning further applause when he mentioned the Oscar-winning film “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” which centers on a Chinese American family and “made history.”
Biden urged Congress, where Republicans have historically resisted stricter gun purchase laws, to take “responsibility” and impose restrictions on the popular semi-automatic, military-style rifles frequently used in mass shootings. “Ban assault weapons,” he called out to cheers from the audience of around 200 people. “Do it now. Enough! Do something. Do something big.”
Among the measures enacted by Biden on Tuesday, the most significant was an executive order aimed at tightening rules on background checks. Polls indicate overwhelming public support for a universal requirement that anyone purchasing a firearm undergo a criminal record check. However, Republicans in Congress contend that such measures infringe upon the constitutional right to bear arms and should be determined by individual states. Currently, only federally licensed dealers, who account for less than half of gun sales, are mandated to conduct background checks nationwide, although some states have implemented additional requirements.
Biden’s order directs the attorney general to take action against vendors who fail to perform background checks and to clarify who qualifies as a dealer. “It’s just common sense — to check whether someone is a felon or a domestic abuser before they buy a gun,” he stated. Additionally, the executive order, which a president can implement without congressional approval but only through federal agencies, will also impose stricter regulations on irresponsible gun dealers. It will initiate an independent study to reveal how gun manufacturers aggressively market firearms to civilians, particularly minors, often using military imagery. The attorney general will also publish official reports naming firearms dealers who violate laws. This “name and shame” tactic, Biden explained, will assist lawmakers in cracking down on illegal dealers and help the public avoid purchasing from them.
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